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Update 5:05pm
An armed man in body armor tried to break into the FBI’s Cincinnati office on Thursday and was opened by police after fleeing the scene and an hours-long standoff in rural the state, the Ohio Highway Patrol said. shot dead.
The clashes came as officials warned of increased threats to federal agents in the days following the search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The man is believed to have been in Washington in the days leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, uprising and may have been at the Capitol on the day of the attack, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the matter. The official could not discuss the details of the investigation publicly and requested anonymity.
The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Ricky Shiffer, according to law enforcement officials. The official said he was not charged with any crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack. Federal investigators are investigating whether Schiffer may have ties to far-right extremist groups, including the Proud Boys, the official said.
According to federal authorities’ description of the incident, Schiffer “attempted to break into” the visitor screening area of ​​the FBI’s office at about 9:15 a.m. and fled when agents confronted him. Lieutenant Nathan Dennis, a spokesman for the Ohio Highway Patrol, said at a news conference that after escaping to Interstate 71, he was spotted by a mounted police officer who shot him as they pursued him.
Dennis said Schiffer left the interstate north of Cincinnati and left his car on a country road, where he exchanged fire with police and was injured, but no one was injured.
Dennis said Schiffer was shot and killed after raising a gun at police around 3 p.m. Thursday. Dennis said the fatal encounter with police came after negotiations failed and police tried unsuccessfully to use “less lethal tactics”, without giving details.
State highway workers blocked the road to the scene as a helicopter flew over the area. Officials cordoned off a mile near the interstate and urged residents and business owners to lock their doors and stay inside. Interstate highways have reopened.
Threats to FBI agents and offices across the country have grown in recent days since federal agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago. On Gab, a social media site popular with white supremacists and anti-Semites, users warned that they were preparing for an armed revolution.
Federal officials have also been tracking a series of other related chatter on Gab and other platforms threatening violence against federal agents. On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray denounced the threats during a visit to another FBI office in Nebraska.
“Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re unhappy with,” Wray said Wednesday in Omaha.
The FBI also warned its agents on Wednesday to avoid protesters and ensure their security key cards are “not visible outside FBI space,” citing increased threats from social media to bureau personnel and facilities. It also warned agents to be aware of their surroundings and potential protesters.
The warning did not specifically mention this week’s search for Mar-a-Lago, but blamed the cyber threat on “recent media reports of FBI investigative activity.”
9:35 am
Authorities said Thursday that an armed man approached the visitor check area of ​​the FBI’s Cincinnati office, fled during a confrontation with agents, and then exchanged fire with police.
After fleeing the FBI office, the man was chased to Interstate 71 and then closed in both directions. The man, wearing body armor, exchanged fire with police, according to the Clinton County Emergency Management Agency.
The incident comes a day after the head of the FBI warned of threats against agents and the Justice Department circulating online after the agency searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
“Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you are upset with,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday in Omaha.
Officials cordoned off a mile near the interstate and urged residents and business owners to lock their doors and stay inside.
An FBI evidence team has arrived at the office to investigate, according to multiple media reports.
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